The question of why Naruto has so many filler episodes is one that has puzzled many newcomers to the franchise over the years. The excessive amount of filler content has made the original anime harder to digest, posing difficulties in introducing the series to new audiences. It is fairly common knowledge at this point that the abundance of Naruto filler episodes stems directly from the anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot trying to maintain pace with Masashi Kishimoto's manga. Therefore, considering that the anime had a weekly release schedule, as opposed to being seasonal, it led to the creation of several filler arcs in order to give the manga room to breathe and stay ahead.Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.Explaining why Naruto has so many filler episodes and the consequences that it had on the seriesThe extreme amount of filler episodes was a natural decision because, as mentioned earlier, Studio Pierrot's anime adaptation was constantly outpacing the manga. Faced with shortage of source material to adapt, the creators resorted to filler arcs to allow Kishimoto more time to release new chapters. This was common practice back in the days of weekly anime, with another Studio Pierrot production, Bleach, suffering from a similar issue.In that regard, these are the different arcs that the anime had and how many episodes it covered throughout the series:Original series 26: Chunin Exams arcOriginal series 97: Search for Tsunade arcOriginal series 102–106: Land of Tea Escort Mission arcOriginal series 136–219: Land of Rice Fields Investigations arcShippuden 57–71: Twelve Guardian Ninja arcShippuden 89–112: Three Tails’ Appearance arcShippuden 119–120: Kakashi Gaiden arcShippuden 144–151: Six-Tails Unleashed arcShippuden 170–171: Big Quest for Fourth Hokage’s LegacyShippuden 176–196: Past arc: Locus of KonohaShippuden 223–242: Paradise Life on a Boat arcShippuden 257–260: FlashbacksShippuden 272: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arcShippuden 280–281: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arcShippuden 284–289: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arcShippuden 300–317: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arcShippuden 319–320: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arcShippuden 347–361: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax arcShippuden 376–377Shippuden 388–390: Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki arcShippuden 394–413: Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki arcShippuden 416: The Formation of Team MinatoShippuden 422–423: Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki arcShippuden 427–457: Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero, Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness arcsShippuden 469: Kakashi's Face RevealShippuden 480–500: Childhood, Sasuke Shinden Book: Book of Sunrise, Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting In Silent Darkness, Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day For a Wedding arcsThe consequences of the filler episodesHinata Hyuga benefitted from the filler episodes (Image via Studio Pierrot).The Naruto filler episodes were mostly easy to skip since they didn't affect the main storyline. However, now that the series is over, it is easy to see the affect these fillers had on the flow of the story.While the filler arcs provided opportunities for side characters such as Hinata, Rock Lee, or Ten Ten to shine, they occasionally disrupted canon storylines. For instance, in Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi, several characters experienced dream states, which was not part of the manga. Final thoughtsNaruto fillers have become rather infamous throughout years due to the excessive amount, although they are quite easy to skip these days through a mere online search. However, while they may be frustrating, it's important to understand that their prevalence was a byproduct of the era when anime series aired weekly almost year-round.Related articlesAll Naruto Shippuden fillers in the Fourth Ninja War, listedLack of Naruto remake news has fans going back to old filler episodesWhy a Naruto remake without fillers is bad news for Hinata fans, explained10 Popular shonen anime with the most filler, ranked